Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse:
Training for Arkansas Mandated Reporters

Absolutely! Confidentiality and anonymity of reporters is the LAW. The investigators cannot disclose the name of the reporter without an order from a judge, and then only if the judge has reason to believe a false report has been made.

The parent/offender is legally entitled to a list of names of the people interviewed during the investigation, but this does not identify you as the reporter. You are not required by law to confirm that you have been interviewed or discuss the interview with the family.

The law presumes that you acted in good faith.

Mandated Reporters should never assume that another professional who is involved with the child has already reported the situation to the Hotline. It is your responsibility to call and report what you know about the situation. Even if a report has already been made, your information is still valuable, as it could assist the investigator in deciding whether to substantiate the report.

No. It is your individual responsibility as a Mandated Reporter to ENSURE that a child abuse report is made to the Hotline. Telling your supervisor or anyone else does not fulfill your legal obligation. You must ensure that the report is made. You may want to suggest that you and your supervisor make the Hotline call together, especially if you both have first-hand information regarding the child. For purposes of documentation, it may be beneficial for the administrator or staff member to jointly complete and sign on the written confirmation of the verbal report before submitting it to the local DCFS office.

By law, no school or agency may prohibit an employee or volunteer from directly contacting the Hotline. They also may not require you to notify a certain person or ask permission prior to making a report directly to the Hotline.

Mandated Reporters who fail to notify the Hotline of suspected abuse or neglect may be charged with a misdemeanor in criminal court or sued in civil court. Mandated reporters who have a license may lose that license to practice their professions.

Typically the answer is NO. The investigator will ask to interview the child alone and away from any type of influence although they do have the discretion to determine who is present. If you were present during the interview and the case goes to court, you may be called to testify.

Investigators can only remove children from the home when the child is in immediate danger of serious harm. The investigator goes to the home, speaks with the parents and the child, and then assesses whether the child is safe there. DCFS tries to keep families together whenever possible by implementing protection plans and providing services to keep children safe.

It depends on the circumstances. If the child is dependent under Arkansas law, and the allegations of maltreatment do not include the caregiver, the parent may place the child with an appropriate and willing relative or friend. If there is no appropriate and willing relative or friend, or the child is dependent-neglected under Arkansas law, the child will come into foster care.

No matter where the child is placed, it's only temporary until a judge hears the case. When a child is taken into temporary protective custody (commonly referred to as taking a ?hold?), DHS must bring it to the attention of a judge within 72 hours (excluding holidays or weekends). The judge will decide whether the child will remain in the temporary custody of DHS until the probable cause hearing which must be held within five business days or the child will be returned to the custody of the parents.

No. Although the alleged offender has a legal right to information contained in the investigative report, including the names of the individuals who were interviewed, they are not told who made the report.